Indians on Vacation

Indians on Vacation is a novel by Thomas King.

Thomas King

CBC Books Posted: Aug 31, 2020 5:37 PM EDT | Last Updated: November 22, 2021

Inspired by a handful of old postcards sent by Uncle Leroy nearly a hundred years earlier, Bird and Mimi attempt to trace Mimi's long-lost uncle and the family medicine bundle he took with him to Europe.

"I'm sweaty and sticky. My ears are still popping from the descent into Vaclav Havel. My sinuses ache. My stomach is upset. My mouth is a sewer. I roll over and bury my face in a pillow. Mimi snuggles down beside me with no regard for my distress.

'My god,' she whispers, 'can it get any better?'"

By turns witty, sly and poignant, this is the unforgettable tale of one couple's holiday trip to Europe, where their wanderings through its famous capitals reveal a complicated history, both personal and political. (From HarperCollins Canada)

Indians on Vacationwas onthe 2020 Writers's Trust Fiction Prize shortlist. It was alsoon the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlistand wasa finalistfor the 2020 Governor General's Literary Prize for fiction.

Thomas King is a Canadian-American writer of Cherokee andGreekancestry. His books includeTruth & Bright Water,The Inconvenient Indian,Green Grass, Running WaterandThe Back of the Turtle. He also writes the DreadfulWater mystery series.

Why Thomas King wrote Indians on Vacation

"I always wondered what I was going to be able to do with all the travel that my wife drags me off on. And so I decided, well, I'll write a book about that. And so I did.

My wife loves to travel. It's one of her great treats and it's one of my abject horrors.

"We were in Prague and then we went down to Budapest to get on a river cruise up to Amsterdam. My wife loves to travel. It's one of her great treats and it's one of my abject horrors."

"Bird doesn't like to travel much and in that we are alike. But I don't know if it's autobiographical.There are pieces of autobiography that creep in, but that happens with all my books."

From the book

About six years ago, Mimi decided that we should travel.

"We can follow the postcards," she told me. "Maybe we'll find out what happened to Uncle Leroy. We might even find the Crow bundle. Wouldn't that be great."

"Why don't we look for the Lost Lemon mine while we're at it?"

"And the travel will give me a chance to paint other places in the world."

"You paint water. You don't need to travel to paint water."

"You could take your typewriter and your camera. Just like the old days, Bird. You were one of the best."

"I haven't used a typewriter in years."

"Maybe it will inspire you to finish your book."

"And there is no book."

"But there could be."

It's a losing battle, but I try anyway. "Why would we want to travel, when we can stay home?"

"Travel is broadening," said Mimi, though that old adage has never been proven. "And it will help take your mind off your health."

So we're in Prague.

FromIndians on Vacationby Thomas King 2020.Published by HarperCollins Canada.

Interviews with Thomas King

The Next Chapter16:47Thomas King on Indians on Vacation

Thomas King talks about the autobiographical inspiration by his novel Indians on Vacation, which is longlisted for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

The Next Chapter39:27Shelagh's extended conversation with Thomas King

Shelagh's conversation with Thomas King about his novel "The Back of the Turtle". It's the winner of the 2014 Governor General's Award for Fiction.

Unreserved40:13An extended conversation with celebrated author Thomas King

Recorded at Montreal's Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival, Thomas King joins Rosanna Deerchild on stage in this extended conversation about writing, research and Indigenous humour.

The Next Chapter53:59Thomas King, new feminist fiction (February 16, 2015)

Thomas King on "The Inconvenient Indian" - Jeremy Fisher on "The Life of Hope" by Paul Quarrington - Jen Sookfong-Lee on new feminist fiction - How I Wrote It: Carrie Snyder on "Girl Runner" - Rob Winger on "Old Hat"

Other books by Thomas King

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